Psych 150A1
The Structure of Mind and Behavior
Section 003
9-9:50 Aero & Mech Engineering Rm S336
Section 004
12-12:50 Meinel Optical Science Rm 432
Rosemary A. Rosser, PhD
Email: rrosser@email.arizona.edu
Office hours: MW 11-12; M 1-3 Psych 101
Fall 2012
Course Description
This course is one of the many sections of Psych 150A, all of which meet the U of
A's General Education Curriculum requirement of a Tier 1 course in Individuals and
Societies. What differentiates this particular section is that: 1. it is taught from the
perspective of a psychologist, and the mother discipline underlying the content we will
review is psychology. 2. This is an honors section so the expectations of performance and
the depth to which we may cover that content could vary from other like titled sections.
Psychology has been described in one of the classic books in the field as the
science of mind, that is, the empirical study of behavior, thinking, action, etc., all the
areas of mental life. The first part of that phrase points out that these musings on mind are
predicated on scientific examination. The second part of the phrase identifies the target.
The mind is actualized in the brain, the biological house of the psyche. Thus, as
psychology has matured as a science, the focus has more and more been placed on the
functioning of the brain, and our methods of study and explanations of mind have been
more and more influenced by neuroscience. Indeed, psychology has become more
"biologicalized" in recent years as we have learned more about brain functioning.
This course seeks to help you understand the functioning of the brain, the cause of
mental events, and the origins of what could be construed as human nature, as a result of
both experience and biology, by reviewing research and theory in the major sub-areas of
psychology. Since science indicates procedures/methods/constraints on examining a
phenomenon, how we discover the functioning of mind is just as critical as what we
discover from our investigations. My particular areas of interest are in the origins of
mind, particularly cognition, as a function of development. I could describe myself as a
combination of a developmental and an evolutionary psychologist…terms that will
become clearer as we proceed.
There is much content to be covered. This is a foundation course for further work
in psychology, and much of it might be more complex than you envision from lay
versions, popularized versions, of what the discipline is about.
The textbook and readings
The textbook for the course is: Gazzaniga, Heatherton, & Halpern: Psychological
Science, which is available at the bookstore. I have selected it because it is well-grounded
in neuroscience, and many of you will proceed further into that content. It is a good,
comprehensive introductory text that well covers the topics I am partial to and has a
definite "brain" bias. Psychology is a very broad field; we cannot cover everything in one
semester, but this text gives a good, sufficiently deep sampling. I may also occasionally
find other readings that I think could flush out the text a bit. I will mention them in the
course of our discussions. Should I think one is interesting enough to consider required
reading, I will copy it to the D2L website. And, for the papers that are required (see
later), I will bring in many journals and books you can check out from me.
Requirements for the course
There are basically three sorts of requirements: midterms, quizzes, and papers.
There are three midterms, equally weighted, and spread throughout the term. They will be
primarily objective (e.g., multiple choice) type questions and short answer items as well.
The exams are not cumulative, except in the sense that all material is cumulative. Each
will cover 1/3 of the course. Also, I will provide you with study guides indicating what
material will be covered on an exam before testing. Typically, if you pay attention to my
study guides (which will be posted on the D2L website) you can predict exactly what I
will ask you on an exam. I'm very transparent. The exams will cover material from the
readings and from lecture, which will not always be redundant. The exams are presented
on line.
There are also three quizzes, short essay type exams. You will be able to select
from a list of questions, so again…pay attention to those study guides. I am firmly
committed to the notion that students should write and write well, especially honors
students. And since our class is relatively small, I must practice my commitment. The
quizzes will be posted on the website; you do them on your own; we don't meet on the
day they are posted. You turn a paper copy of your responses in the class day following
the quiz day. There will be an additional quiz, a replacement quiz, which you can use
either as extra credit or a replacement should you miss a quiz.
Then, there will be three papers, 4-5 pages each, on topics I present for your
selection. Unlike other papers you might do in other classes, these should be based on
primary sources, i.e., the research literature, and contain at least three primary sources as
references. Again, this is in recognition of your status as honors students and my
conviction that thinking, expressing oneself, and being able to write is a critical
intellectual skill no matter what field you eventually pursue. The course is small enough
that I can actually read your products and give you feedback. I want these assignments as
paper products handed to me; I am sufficiently old that I don't like processing papers on
line. I like to see the whole thing and mark it up .
There will also be a group assignment to design and present a research study in
selected areas of interest. Many of you may go on to work in labs in the psychology
department; thus, I want you to be able to think like a scientist.
Study Guides
Did I mention how important those study guides are? There will be guides for
both lecture/discussion topics and for the relevant book chapters.
Grading and policies
The quizzes are worth 10 points each (30 pts); the midterms are worth 25 points
each (75 points); and the papers are worth 20 points each (for 60 points). The research
proposal is also worth 20 points. That gives us a total of 185 points. My grading
breakdown:
90% and up is an A
80-89% is a B
70-79% is a C
60-69% is a D
And less than that, we don't want to talk about, do we? If you have already earned 90% of
the total points possible before the final, you will be excused from it. Thus, if you have
accrued 165 points, through assignments and extra credit (see below) you are excused
from the final midterm.
There are also ways to achieve extra credit for that little bit of edge. One is through
attendance. If you are present 90% of the time (and I will have sign in sheets), you can
earn an extra 10 points. It behooves you to be present anyway; although my notes will be
posted on the website and the readings are indicated in the schedule, I might say
something interesting that isn't in them. Or someone might ask an interesting question. If
you want to keep the fourth quiz, rather than using it as a replacement, you can also earn
up to 10 extra credit points. An additional extra credit is available by finding articles in
the popular press (e.g. The New York Times, Science Direct) that report on material
related to the course topics. These, the articles along with a summary are worth 5 points
and you can do up to 4 of them. Also, as opportunities come up to take advantage of
presentations on campus, these can earn extra credit also. For example, last semester, the
famed linguist, Noam Chomsky presented on campus, and students reported on his talks.
My objective here is to encourage engagement in the broader psychology/cognitive
science community.
You will also be required to participate in research projects. The details of that
requirement are posted on the website. Psychology is a scientific enterprise; you can learn
first hand what that is like. You get no points toward a grade for that participation, but it
is required to get course credit (otherwise you get an I). Besides, it is usually interesting
and sometimes fun.
Some nuts and bolts: I cannot do make-up exams/quizzes, so don't miss them. I
will not accept late papers, and I don't typically give incompletes unless you are in danger
of croaking. Also, when it comes to collaboration--use those study guides for study
groups; help each other master the content. But don't collaborate on papers; I want
originals from each of you. And don't pull papers off the Internet; we can always figure
that out. Attendance is not explicitly required, but I do reward it and would advise it.
The course schedule
The following are the dates that topics will be discussed, quizzes are scheduled, papers
are due, and the C notations indicate what chapters in the text are covered.
Aug. 20: Introduction (C1)
22: Psychology department survey for section 004; Roots and the history of psychology
for section 003
24: The survey for 003; Roots & history for 004
27: Roots and background continued (C1 & C2)
29-31: Methods (C2)
Sept. 3: Holiday, no class
5: Biology, nature, nurture, & evolution (C3)
7: Quiz #1, no class
10-12: More on neuroscience (C3 and a supplemental reading from Rosserian files)
14: Midterm #1, no class
17-19: More neuroscience
21-24: Development, including brain development. (C9 and a supplemental reading from
the Rosserian files)
*The first paper is due the 24th
26: Introduction to learning and the empiricist perspective (C6)
28: Quiz #2, no class
Oct. 1: Learning continued (C6)
3-8: Language and language development. (a supplemental reading)
10: Perception and memory (C4 & C7)
12. Midterm #2, no class
15: Memory continued (C7 and a supplemental reading
*The second paper is due the 15th
19-22: Intelligence and individual differences (C8)
24: Gender differences and intelligence continues
26” Quiz #3, no class
29-Nov 2: Intuitive knowledge and the “theory” theory view. (a supplemental reading)
*Nov. 2 is also a research project day
5-9: Theory of mind, empathy, and perspective taking (C12)
12: Veteran’s day, no class
14: Review of evolutionary psychology (through previous chapter threads)
16: Quiz #4, no class
19: Catch up
*The third paper is due
21: Social Psychology and the research proposals are due
23: Thanksgiving recess
26-30: Personality and personality disorders (C13 & C14)
Dec. 3-5: Catch up, selected research presentations (on the 3rd); review and point
distribution (on the 5th)
The third midterm is scheduled the day of the final. However, if you have accrued 90% or
more of the point total for the course, you are excused from the final